Circular-knitting machine



'(No Model.) v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1A L. C. HUSE.

@506mm Q LeauCHuse,

Tm; "cams sans oo.. maraumo., WASHINGTON u c (No Model.) 2 sheets-'sheet 2.

L. C. HUSB.

CIRCULAR KNITTINC MACHINE. No. 593,663. Patented Nov.. 16,1897.

f 113.2. 91 I| D 1 *G? Tw L In: Nomina Pc'rcns co.. Puma-nwo., wAsHmcTo-..u. c.

Nit-E STATES EEicE.

l ATENT omcuLAR-KN'ITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,663, dated November 16, 1897. Application filed October 26, 1896.l Serial No. 610,062. (No model.)

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONC. HUSE, of Laconia, in the county of Belknap and State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in Circular-Knitting Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures on the drawings representing like parts. Y

This invention in knitting-machines has for its object to provide an improved mechanism for automatically putting into the knitf ted tube at any7 desired point of each knitted course a reinforcing-thread. The reinforcing-thread may be put into only a part of a course and may be broken 0H before the course is finished.

The particular features in which my invention consists will be hereinafter described, and defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1, in elevation, represents a sufficient portion of a circular-'knitting machine with my improvement added to enable my invention to be understood. Fig. 2 is a section below the line Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail on the line Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail showing the main-thread guide and its delivery-hole.

The bed-'plate A, the needle-bed A', attached thereto to receive and guide the upright or cylinder needle, the dial or plate needle bed B to receive the dial or plate needle, the dial-needle cam B', the cam-cylinder A2, the yoke B2, connecting the cam-cylinder and dial-needle cam to rotate them in unison, the pattern chain or surface C, having adouble row of links, some of which are higher than others, the pattern-chain-carrying wheel or hub C', the ratchet-wheel C2, and the pawl C3, mounted on the counterbalanced pawl-carrier C4, pivoted at C5 and actuated by a cam CG, fast on a gear D, in turn actuated from a pinion D on the main shaft of the machine, said shaft also vcarrying the bevel-gear D2, driven from the cam-cylinder, are and may be all as common in circular-knitting machines, so need not be herein further described.

In practice the interior of the cam-cylinder will be provided with the usual needlecam groove containing a movable drawingdown cam to vary the length of the loop made inthe thread when making the stitch, said cam of usual construction not being shown, but the drawings do show a stud a projecting from said drawing-down cam through a slotin the cam-cylinder, a stop-screw ax by its position normally limiting the upward movement of the said drawing-down cam and determining the shortest length of stitch.

The main knitting-thread taken from a suitable bobbin (not shown) will be let through an eye 12 at the top of an adjustable arm fand thence through an eye 2O in the usual thread-guide e, fast on the dial-cam by a screw eX, the said thread guide presenting the thread from its vinner side to the needles.

The main thread is supposed to be running at all times through the said thread-guide, and it may at desired times act frictionally upon and take with it, when permitted to do so, the reinforcing-thread, thus presenting both threads to the needle at the desired part of the knitted fabric when the introduction of a second thread is required. The reinforcing-thread contained on a suitable bobbin (not shown) will be led iirst through an eye on the upper end of an arm g', held by a suitable screw gx, and thence to an eye 8 in the shank d of a vertically-reciprocating thread-clamp d', said clamp lapping over the top of a rest or plate d3, secured to the cam-cylinder by suitable screws dx, the lthickening-thread passing between the said clamp and the top of the rest, and thence to and through the eye in the usual thread-guide -with the main' thread.

When the reinforcing-thread is unclamped, it is left free to be taken up by the main running thread and carried with it to theneedles, and when the reinforcing-thread is clamped its delivery is stopped and it is parted between the main-thread guide and the needles.

The shank of the thread-clamp is loosely mounted in guides d2, and a spring h acts to keep the foot of the shank against a cam-hub CX, forming part of a wheel c, having fa series of long and short arms 4 5, said wheel and its hub being mounted frictionally on a suitable stud c4, carried in the base of the stand cl3. This wheel is carried about the needle-bed with the cam-cylinder, and during the movement of the cam-cylinder the arms of the wheel may meet one or the other of a series IOC of pins controlled as to their position by the pattern-surface, as I will now describe.

The bed-plate A has suitable holes for the reception of pins a a2, the pin a being connected to a lever a3, pivoted at a4, while the pin a2 is connected with the arm a5 of a rockshaft a, having at its opposite end an arm a7, joined by a link aS with a lever a", also pivoted at a", said levers being adapted to be acted upon by and lifted at the proper time by its own series of high links of the patternchain. A spring l), attached to the arm a and interposed between it and the bed A, normally acts to keep the lever a against a pin 3, the pin 3 being so located that it serves as a down-stop for both levers a and a3, and when the said levers rest on the said pin only one of the long arms l of the wheel c will strike a pin, whichever is first to meet it, and it will turn the wheel c so that the cam-hub will permit the clamp to drop and hold the thickening-thread out of action. XVhen only the main thread is being used, the levers a and a3 will rest on the pin IVhen the clamp is to be raised to permit the thickening-thread to be taken in with the main thread, one of the pins a or a2 will be lifted according to which side of the knitted tube is to be reinforced, said raised pins being then struck by the short arm 5 of the wheel c, which effects the turning of the cam and causes one of its hubs or cam part 6 to act on the shank (l of the clamp and lift it from the running thread.

In order that the thickening-thread may be immediately taken up and carried by the main thread without unduly straining the same until after the thickening-thread has been caught by the needle, I have added to the machine a pull-off g, it being located between the hole 8 of the thread-clamp and a hole in the upper end of the guide-arm g, said pull-off consisting of an arm g, carried by a disk g2, adjustably attached by a setscrew g3 to a disk g4, mounted on a stud gx, fixed to the cam-cylinder, the said disk g4 having a toe g5.

Vhen the thickening-thread is to be introduced, the pin a or a2, whichever is to act, will be raised, and it will be lifted into its operative position before toe g5 referred to reaches in the rotation of the cylinder the pin, and consequently the pull-off will be moved to act on the reinforcing-tln'ead between the clamp and the eye in the arm g and pull off from the bobbin a quantity of thread, leaving it slack, so that when the clamp is released the running thread may readily piek up the slack thread and take it with it.

The introduction of the thickening-thread, together with the running thread, requires for the best work that the loop formed by two threads should be longer, and to do this I have interposed between the stud @,extended, as described, from the usual drawing-down cam of the cam-cylinder and the cam, as CX, a lever h', it being pivoted at h2 upon a vertically-adj ustable plate h3, held in its adj usted position by a suitable screw 7L, The adjustment of the plate h3 vertically controls the elfective throw of the lever 7L. The drawings show the clamp as active in holding the thickening-thread.

To introduce the thickening-thread in onehalf of a course, the high projections of the chain will act, let it be supposed, on lever a3 and will lift the pin d', putting it into position Fig. l, so that as the cylinder commences its rotation in the direction of the arrow in Fig. l it will cause one of the short arms 5 of the cam-wheel to meet that pin, which will turn the wheel and cause one of the camlumps (i to lift the clamp, letting the thickening-thread run in; but as soon as the camcylinder completes one-half rotation, let itbe supposed, a long` arm 4: of the wheel c will meet the opposite pin a2 and the cam-wheel will be again turned to lower the clamp to part the thickening-thread. Just before a short arm 5 meets a pin, as stated, said pin will, as stated, be struck, as described, by the toe g5 to pull olf the requisite amount of thread. By lifting the pin a2 the thickening-thread may be put into the other half of the knitted tube, and the pin a will thereafter effect the rotation of the wheel c and cause the thread to be clamped and part it. This thiekening-thread may be put into any part of the knitted tube by suitably locating the pins a or a2 at the desired part of the bed and putting them under the control of the pattern-surface. By adjusting the disk having the toe g5 a greater or less quantity of thread maybe pulled off and left slack. The toe g5 is normally kept down in the path of the pin by means of a suitable spring m, connected to the hub of the disk g2 and to the cam-cylinder.

The cam-cylinder in practice will derive its rotation from a bevel-gear on the main shaft BiS of the machine, all as in United States Patent No. 292,490, dated January 29, 1894.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a circular-knitting machine, a calncylinder, a main-thread guide to supply the usual needles of the machine with a main running thread, a rest, a clamp cooperating therewith for a reinforcing-tluead on its way to the main-thread guide, a wheel having arms of different lengths and provided with a cam to act on and open the clamp to free the reinforcing-thread, a pin, a pattern-surface to move said pin and put it into position to turn the said wheel and cause its cam to move the clamp to release the running thread, and a second pin to meet an arm of the said wheel during'one and the same rotation of the camcylinder to turn said wheel and its cam, and permit the clamp to be closed, and part the reinforcing-thread, leaving it only in a part of the knitted course in which it was introduced, substantially as described.

IOO

IIO

2. In a knitting-machine, a thread-clamp, means to move it to alternately release and then clamp a reinforcing-thread as the said 'thread is to be presented to the needles or stopped, combined with a pull-off, composed of an arm attached'to a pivoted disk provided with a toe, a pin, and a pattern-surface to control the position of the pin to actuate said pull-off in advance of moving the said clamp to release the reinforcing-thread, whereby `slack thread may be put into the reinforcingthread near the said clamp, substantially as described. 3. In a knitting-machine, a thread-clamp, means to move it to alternately release and then clamp a reinforcing-thread as the said thread is to be-presented to the needles or stopped, combined with a pull-off, means to adjust said pull-off to pull off more or less thread, and means to actuate it in advance of moving the said clamp to release the reinforcing-thread, vwhereby slack thread may be put into the reinforcing-thread near the said clamp, substantially as described.

4. In a circular-knitting machine, the foll lowing instrumentalities, viz: a cam-cylinder, having the usual drawing-down cam provided with apin as a, projected through the cylinder and exposed at the outer side thereof, a main-thread guide to supply the usual needles of the machine with a main or running thread, a rest, a clamp coperating therewith to control a reinforcing-thread on its way to the main thread guide, a Wheel having arms of different lengths, and provided with a series of cam-faces to act on and open the clamp to free the reinforcing-thread, a lever interposed between the said cam, and the pin on the drawing-down cam, a pin as ce', a pattern-surface to move said pin and put it into position to turn the said wheel and cause its cam to move the clamp to release the clamping-thread and at the same time depress the drawing-down cam to lengthen the stitch, and a second pin to meet an arm of the said wheel during one and the same rotation of the camcylinder to turn said wheel again and permit the clamp to be closed onto and to part the reinforcing-thread, and allowT the drawingdown cam to rise, such operation leaving said reinforcing-thread only in a part of the knitted course in Which it was first introduced, the stitches in which the reinforcingthread is introduced being thereby made longer, substantially as described.

In testimonyv whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEON C. HUSE.

Witnesses:

E. F. REEVES, A. B. SANBORN. 

